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U.S. Army soldiers armed with an M240B Machine Gun fire at the “enemy” from a hilltop position, suppressing the enemy while participating in a Japan-U.S. field training exercise.
Photo by Sgt. Joseph A. Francis, USA |
About 600 JGSDF troops joined more than 500 U.S. Army soldiers in exercise KEEN SWORD at Camp Takigahara, Japan. The Commander of Japan’s 1st Regiment, Col. Kazuo Sawano, said at the opening ceremony that he was honored to have the opportunity for his soldiers to participate in the exercise. At the same ceremony, U.S. Lt. Col. Scott McBride, Commander of the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, echoed Col. Sawano’s sentiments:
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We are honored and privileged to have the opportunity to train with, to learn from, and develop the bonds of friendship with our counterparts and infantry brothers from the 1st Infantry Regiment and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. Over the coming days we will share in the experiences that only infantrymen can fully under stand and appreciate – a long, tough movement on a cold night, the excitement and satisfaction of completing a demanding live-fire exercise, hot water, and hot chow [food].
Indeed, because we share the hardships, we trust our fellow infantrymen with our very lives. We are part of a brotherhood that bonds the soldiers and our units together. Friendships will develop over the next three weeks that will transcend this infantry. They are friendships born from a unique and special brotherhood that will last a lifetime.
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On the hills of Mt. Fuji, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members brief U.S. Army soldiers on the search and clearing of buildings in an urban environment.
Photo by Sgt. Joseph Francis, USA |
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We look forward to a great exercise during which we emerge better trained through our mutual partnership with the great soldiers and leaders of the 1st Infantry Regiment. |
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